5 Reasons Why Is My Cat Drinking A Lot Of Water And Meowing

What’s going on? I normally need to ask my cat to drink some water, but now she can’t get enough of it. And she meows more often. Should I be worried? 

I don’t want to worry you right at the beginning, but the truth is that felines will not display this type of behavior without a good reason. After all, many cat parents deal with having to remind their kittens to drink more water.

A sudden change in water intake in a cat always has a meaningful explanation.

Actually, there are both non-medical and medical causes of excess thirst and vocalization in felines.

Let’s take a look at them.

1. Diet Changes

Your cat usually eats wet food, but now you’ve decided to give a shot to some of the best dry cat food on the market?

This will be a potentially big change for your cat, and it will also mean a different level of hydration through food.

See, when cats eat wet food, this also helps them stay hydrated and increases their daily water intake.

So, dry food doesn’t provide your cat with water, causing her to seek more water than she normally does.

But, why does she meow? Meowing is the way your cat communicates with you.

According to Emanuela Prato-Previde and her associates [2], meows are cats’ vocalizations directed at their humans. Cats used them on a daily basis to inform their owners of their emotions.

Cats don’t meow at other felines, since they have other ways to communicate with them. 

So, they only use meowing when they try to tell something to their humans. In this case, your cat might be trying to show you that this new food seems weird to her!

She’s likely to get used to it soon, but, for the moment, she’s meowing you to let you know that she feels the change in her routine!

See Also: 7 Reasons Why Does Your Cat Meow After Eating

2. Seasons Change

High temperatures in summer make us drink more water. This happens with cats, too. 

So, your cat is more likely to drink a lot of water during hot summer days. This is a normal body reaction and nothing to worry about, provided, of course, there are no other additional symptoms that might indicate an underlying health problem.

If she’s not only drinking more water than usual, but also meowing, once again – this is her way of communicating with you and showing you she’s in some distress.

Although we all witness our cats enjoying the sun for most of the time, high temperatures can be difficult for felines, too. Cats can ever get overheated if left in the sun for too long. 

3. Dehydration

There are several causes of dehydration in felines. A cat might hesitate to drink water as a result of a dental issue. 

This can also have a lot to do with your habit of regularly changing your cat’s water. The water might seem perfectly fine to you, and you might decide not to change it, since your cat has barely had a sip of it. But, your kitty doesn't look at things in the same way.

Cats can be picky about water, and most of them love moving water because it feels fresh and clean to them; this is also a reason why you might find your cat near the shower!

Dehydration might also happen due to territorial conflicts; this is something multiple cat parents will understand best.

If your cat has recently dealt with vomiting, diarrhea, or fever, this might also cause her to drink more water, and to meow excessively, just to let you know she’s in need of hydration.

4. Medications Side Effects

If your cat has started using certain medications lately, they might cause increased thirst in her. This is completely normal.

But, this might also mean that those medications aren’t the best option for your kitten, especially when it's accompanied by excessive meowing, which probably means your cat needs your help.

So, you might need to ask your vet if a change of treatment will be necessary.

5. Underlying Health Issues

Unfortunately, increased thirst and meowing can be related to severe health problems in cats.

Let’s look at the four most common issues related to this feline behavior. 

Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)

Infections are very painful for cats; since they can tell this to their owners, they will usually become more vocal.

Besides meowing and drinking a lot of water, a cat with a urinary tract infection might also seem to be in discomfort while urinating. According to the cat urine color chart, bloody urine in cats might also indicate UTI.

As Western Carolina Regional Animal Hospital suggests, cats with urinary tract infections are usually 10 years of age or older. Also, some of these cats might suffer from endocrine issues, such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism.

Kidney Issues

Cats’ kidneys control the amount of water in their bodies. If there’s something wrong with the kidneys, a cat might start urinating more often, and, therefore, lose more fluids than she takes in.

So, to compensate for the lost fluid, a cat will drink more water. Since kidney issues can be extremely painful, many cats will meow together while drinking a lot of water.

Kidney problems can be fatal for felines. If a cat's kidneys aren’t functioning properly, she will be unable to remove waste from her system.

Additional symptoms of kidney issues in cats besides increased thirst are increased urination,  vomiting, lethargy, weakness, bad breath, and reduced appetite.

Diabetes

Diabetes in cats occurs as a result of the inability of a cat’s body to control the level of sugar in the blood. 

Since there’s excess sugar in the cat’s urine, her kidneys lose a large amount of water, and the cat gets the urge to compensate for the lost water.

Susan Gottlieb and Jacquie Rand [1] note advanced age, male gender, obesity, physical inactivity, and indoor confinement as risk factors for feline diabetes.

A cat with diabetes will drink more water, pee more often, might have an increased appetite, but might also suffer unexpected weight loss. Meowing can also appear here as a cat’s cry for help.

Hyperthyroidism 

Another potential health issue that cat drinking a lot of water and meowing might indicate is hyperthyroidism.

This is a condition where a cat’s thyroid gland produces too much thyroxine hormone, causing a sudden acceleration in her metabolism.

Besides excess thirst, a cat with hyperthyroidism might also want to eat all the time, but she will continue to lose weight, since her metabolism is working a lot faster than it should.

You shouldn’t expect your cat to cry no matter what kind of pain she’s going through. Hiding pain is a natural instinct of cats; they might not cry when ill, but they are likely to meow more than usual.

How Much Water Should A Cat Drink?

Sometimes cat parents think that their pets are drinking too much water, which is not actually true.

So, you first need to know the amount of water that’s considered desirable for felines to intake daily.

As petMD suggests, a normal, healthy cat should drink about 4 ounces (about ½ cup) of water per 5 pounds of body weight per day.

You can get an approximate answer to how much water your cat drinks daily by simply observing her water bowl.

However, you should also keep an eye on whether your cat drinks water from other places.

What To Do If Your Cat Drinks A Lot Of Water And Meows?

As you can see, a cat that drinks more water than normal and meows excessively too can be a sign of a severe underlying health issue.

Therefore, you shouldn’t ignore these symptoms in your cat. Consult your vet right away! If he ensures your cat is perfectly healthy, then the excess thirst and meowing are probably caused by season change or a diet change.

Still, if the examination shows your cat does have a certain disease, you’ll know you made the best decision for your cat’s health – you reacted on time.

The sooner you notice any kind of health problems in your kitten, the greater the chance of her getting the right treatment and continuing with her normal life!

References:

Read Next: 5 Reasons Why Is Your Dying Cat Drinking Lots Of Water